


Glad You're Here

by Scat



Category: Markimoo - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: F/M, I'm proud of this one, It's actually a really nice story, M/F, Mark Fischbach - Freeform, Markiplier - Freeform, Markiplier in the hospital, Near Death, Stress, YouTube, boyfriend/girlfriend - Freeform, markimoo, romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2015-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-18 21:17:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4720766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scat/pseuds/Scat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caitlyn and her boyfriend, Mark Fischbach (aka Markiplier) have been dating for six months now and now they're headed off to meet Mark's family in Cincinnati.  Caitlyn fits right in with the family and she's never seen Mark happier.  Just when everything is seeming amazing, disaster strikes, leaving Mark in the hospital.  It crushes Caitlyn's heart to see him like this, especially when she knows he may not recover...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Glad You're Here

**Author's Note:**

> This story came to me in a dream and I knew I had to write it down. I'm a super big Markiplier fan, and I wanted to write a fanfic that would do him justice, so here it is! Hope you enjoy, it's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster to write, but it was totally worth it.
> 
> Also can be found on Wattpad.com under the username TheSaphireCrystal.

I watched from my seat right next to the window on the plane as Los Angeles, California became smaller and smaller as the third flight of the day took off. I yawned, partly to relieve the pressure in my ears and partly because I was exhausted. I snuck a peak at the black digital watch I practically never took off and read 4:35 AM, which somehow made me even more tired.  
“You ok, Caitlyn?” asked the baritone voice coming from my boyfriend in the seat next to me. I exhaled slowly, leaning my head back against the seat and looked over at him, drinking in his appearance. God, I could never get sick of looking at him. His coffee brown eyes, his perfect smile, his longish dark-brown-almost-black hair that was slightly messy from the early wakeup call, but still perfect in my mind, the slight shadow of a mustache and beard, everything about him made my heart melt.  
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just tired, I guess.”  
“Well, we’ll be in Cincinnati in a few hours, so that’s plenty of time to get some shut-eye before we land. I mean, you’re beautiful now, but you look even better after a good night’s sleep.”  
“Just to point it out, my super late bedtime is your fault.” I teased, punching him playfully in the shoulder.  
“Hey, when the viewers call, I answer,” my boyfriend smiled before adopting a superior look and a ridiculous fake accent. “Wilford Wharfstache does not need sleep.”  
“Ah,” I replied, adopting a similar, if not completely perfect, tone. There was only one person in the world that could properly portray Mr. Wharfstache. “But Markiplier does, you see? And, since last night you, you were Markiplier, you have absolutely no excuse for interrupting my beauty sleep.” Mark smiled and dropped the character.  
“Too be fair, it was actually Wade’s fault for staying up so late, as he insisted on playing Soccer Physics until, like, four in the morning.”  
“Yes, but you were the one yelling and raging.”  
“That….is a very good point,” He said, sighing in defeat before taking one of my hands in both of his and bowing his head like a knight bowing to a queen. “Will you forgive me, oh great Caitlyn, for the horrible wrong I have committed?”  
“Indeed, I shall forgive, Mr. Mark Fischbach. But you should be careful in the future, as I can be very vicious when deprived of sleep.” I said in a serious tone, which was difficult as I was trying very hard not to laugh. Mark laughed a bit and sat up again, although he didn’t let go of my hand.  
“I can’t picture you vicious in any way,” He said, then he kissed my forehead gently. Still holding my hand with one of his, he reached his left arm around me and pulled me into him. I let my head rest on his shoulder, happy to be with him. “But, better to be safe than sorry, I suppose, so you’d better get some sleep.” I sighed, not even grabbing a blanket or anything before I fell asleep against Mark’s shoulder.

I woke up at 7:28 AM according to my watch, and I noticed that Mark was still asleep, his head back against the seat, his mouth just slightly open. He looked like a 14 year old when he was sleeping and it made me smile. I pulled away from him carefully so as not to wake him and, once back in my own seat, I pulled a compact mirror out of my purse, flipping it open. I observed my light blue eyes and slightly longer than shoulder-length hair that used to be brown but was so bleached by the sun that it appeared almost blonde. There was a little red spot on my (oddly light, considering I lived in California) cheek from Mark’s shoulder. I quickly brushed through my hair with a mini brush from my purse, put on a bit of make-up, and grabbed a couple of breath mints, which I sucked on as I snapped the mirror closed and set my purse back down again.  
I noticed Mark’s phone sticking out of his pocket and carefully removed it, turning it on and unlocking it. No, I wasn’t snooping on his phone because I was worried about him, or I thought he was cheating on me or something. I just wanted to play Five Nights at Freddy’s which was only on his phone, considering mine was a Windows Phone, great for writing documents or making presentations on, but not so great for playing games on. I grabbed some ear buds out of my purse and turned the volume way down on the phone so that I wouldn’t get jump-scared too bad and scream in front of everyone on the plane. Even so, on my second night, Bonnie snuck up on me killed my character. I jumped and almost dropped the phone. I was a bit of a wimp when it came to scary games, which was kind of ironic since I was dating Mark, the king of scary games on YouTube.  
Greeted by the ‘Game Over’ screen, I scowled and checked the time. 7:40, almost time for breakfast. I could feel my stomach grumbling in complaint at not being fed, but ignored it. I would get food soon enough, and I didn’t want to eat without Mark, so I started up a new game. I was so busy checking the cameras and being terrified that Freddy had actually left the stage that I didn’t notice Mark waking up until he said, “I would check the door lights pretty soon. I think Chica’s trying to catch you off guard.” I jumped at the sudden distraction, but relaxed when I realized I wasn’t getting jump-scared by a horrible animatronic, just my amazing boyfriend. And in that moment, Chica snuck into my room from the door and vicious killed my character, causing me to shriek (thankfully not too loudly) and Mark to laugh at me. I scowled at him, pulled off my headphones, and giving him his phone back.  
“Easy for you to laugh when you don’t have the headphones on. The sound is the worst part anyway.”  
“Sure, but I don’t think I would have been scared.” He said, and I just raised my eyebrows at him.  
“Ok then, why don’t you give it a go?” I asked, smirking playfully. I knew he wouldn’t turn down the challenge and I loved watching him play when it was just us. Just as I thought, he turned on his phone again and put in an ear-bud, handing me the other ear-bud so we could both listen to the game. And just like that, he was sucked into the imaginary world of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.

He played differently by himself than he did for an audience. He was still the same person, but a slightly more reserved, more focused person. I watched as he expertly flipped through the cameras, seeming to know exactly where the animatronics were at all times, closing the doors with perfect timing, sometimes without even checking the door lights. He was still light and happy, and we made each other laugh while we made fun of the Phone Guy. I certainly wasn’t the funniest person in the world, and I’m pretty sure most of my comments didn’t deserve actual laughs, but Mark was the kind of person who would laugh at the weather, and I was happy that I could make him smile. He survived the first four nights easily, but on the fifth night, Freddy caught him off guard and scared him, causing me to jump halfway out of my seat, but only making him wince slightly.  
“Well, I almost made it. To be fair, I’m a bit rusty on that game.”  
“You certainly showed those animatronics who’s boss, though.”  
“Yeah. They’d better not mess with me anymore!” Mark said, karate chopping the armrest between us. Just then, a pretty flight attendant with a phony smile who had obviously had plenty of coffee came up to us, pushing a cart with some breakfast on it.  
“Would you two like anything?” she asked, and I nodded, asking for a bagel and some black coffee. The stewardess handed me my plate and plastic cup and moved on to Mark.  
“Anything for you, Sir?”  
“Uh, no thanks, I’m good. I’ll just steal some of her bagel when she isn’t looking.” Mark joked, and I playfully smacked his shoulder. The attendant’s fake smile widened until it looked almost painful.  
“Alright, enjoy the rest of your flight. We’ll be arriving in a little over an hour.” The stewardess left and I immediately started on my bagel, ripping it in half so that Mark could have some too. I was done eating in record time and had pretty much finished the coffee, even though it wasn’t very good, when I noticed that Mark hadn’t touched the food and looked mildly pained.  
“Hey, you ok?” I asked him. He looked over at me as if jerked out of a daze, then smiled his usual wonderful smile.  
“I’m fine, just not that hungry.”  
“Not hungry? Who are you, and what have you done with Mark Fischbach.”  
“Ha, no seriously, I’m good.” He said, his laugh forced. I was a little worried, not just about him not eating. He seemed…different. Maybe he was just nervous about going back home again. Maybe I was making him nervous, like he thought his family wouldn’t like me, or something. We’d been dating for almost six months now, but I still hadn’t met his family, not even over the phone. I could see why he’d be nervous, but I wasn’t at all. If Mark’s family was even 1/10 of the person he was, then I would be glad to be in their company. We spent the next hour or so alternating between playing FNaF and other games like Soccer Physics. Mark never ate his half of the bagel, so eventually I ate it instead, thinking we would get some food after we landed.

The descent was always the worse part of flying for me and so I discontinued conversation while the pain in my ears and head forced me to wince every few seconds or so. Mark was perfectly fine with not talking and instead just put his arm around me. I leaned against his shoulder, closing my eyes. Moments like these reminded me why I loved him.  
We landed with a jolt and were thrown slightly forward. The plane turned and began slowing down. Mark put his hands in the air like he was riding a roller coaster and I smiled. Pretty soon, the plane had come to a stop and the seatbelt sign shut off. The plane was then filled with the noise of people talking and the slithery sound of fabric and leather bags being pulled down from the luggage compartments. Mark moved into the aisle and, like a perfect gentleman, waved his hand for me to go in front of him. I slung my purse over my shoulder, then grabbed our two smaller bags from under the seats, letting Mark handle the bigger carry-on. We walked toward the front of the plane, seeing the same flight attendant who had served us breakfast.  
“Have a nice day,” she said, smiling her plastic smile.  
“You too,” I said politely. “And thanks. We had a great flight.” Her smile lost some of its fake-ness and seemed a lot more genuine for a moment. We got off the plane and walked through the tunnel that led to the regular airport. Mark had extended the handle of the carry-on so he could wheel it behind us as we made our way to the terminal.  
“Don’t you think it’s weird that we’re in, like, a plastic tunnel right now? That always makes me think I’m in a sci-fi game or something and this is the way to the escape pod.” Mark said to break the silence. I made a walkie-talkie sound.  
“Csh, Captain, come in Captain, Csh!” I said in my best soldier voice.  
“Csh, read you loud and clear, General. What seems to be the problem.” Mark responded, using his free hand as a radio.  
“Csh, I’m stuck in an escape pod a YouTuber!”  
“Csh, roger that, General. That sounds like a serious situation! We’ll get a medical assistant down there immediately to make sure you don’t faint from over exposure to awesome-ness.” After that, I was laughing too hard to keep talking.

We tracked down the rest of our luggage and, after we somehow managed to balance everything so we could carry it all, we made our way to the front of the airport where we met Mark’s brother. Mark immediately abandoned his luggage and gave his brother a hug. It was the kind of hug where you could tell they were both trying to act cool and not super sentimental or anything, but they both really loved each other. After Mark had pulled back and faced me again, he gestured me over, so I left my luggage and joined him. Mark’s brother extended a hand, but I gave him a hug instead, which I could tell surprised him. He patted my back awkwardly until I pulled away. What could I say? I was a serious hugger.  
“Tom, this is my girlfriend, Caitlyn. Caitlyn, this is my brother, Tom.”  
“Nice to meet you, Tom.” I said happily. Tom had a much bigger mustache than Mark and he was taller, more serious looking, with longer black hair. Even so, I could definitely see the family resemblance. They had the same eyes.  
“Nice to meet you too, Caitlyn. Any friend of Mark’s is a friend of mine.”  
“Just to clarify, though,” Mark said, raising a questioning finger. “Any girlfriend of mine is not a girlfriend of yours. So don’t get any ideas.”

\----

Tom drove a big, silver Toyota, which we all piled into. Mark called shotgun and I sat in the back next to a small, adorable brown dog which almost peed itself with excitement at seeing Mark. I knew Mark liked animals, but I’d never seen him happier with an animal then he was the second he saw that dog. After we’d gotten situated in the car, the dog sat on his little bed and sniffed my hand. It took him almost the whole ride to warm up to me, but he was sitting on my lap by the time we got to Mark’s old house. Mark and Tom talked to each other the whole drive and I didn’t interrupt, knowing they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. I just occupied myself with the dog and kept quiet.  
The house was big, definitely bigger than Mark’s apartment in LA, and white. The best word for it was just “cute.” We pulled in and Tom stopped the car. I checked my watch. 9:39.  
“Is Mom here?” Mark asked casually.  
“No, but Dee is.” Tom replied equally casually. Dee was Mark’s step-mom, I knew, and he seemed to really, really love her, but I could tell he was a little disappointed that his biological mother wasn’t here. Just then, the door opened and a big white dog tore from the house like a bullet. Mark got out quickly and was practically tackled by the big white dog. Mark laughed as he patted the dog on the side and the dog licked his face in response. Seeing him so happy made me smile and relieved a sort of pressure and nerves that I didn’t know I had.  
“Mark!” someone, who I was assuming was Mark’s stepmom Dee, shouted from the doorway as she made her way over too us, enveloping Mark in almost as big a hug as the dog had just given him. The little brown dog jumped off of my lap with a bark and joined the frenzy, barking and running around in circles until Tom scratched him behind his ears. They all looked so at home together that I just stayed in the car a little longer, not wanting to ruin the moment. There would be plenty of time for introductions later. I wanted this moment to be all about Mark and his family.  
After the hugging had subsided a bit, Mark noticed me still in the car and gestured for me to come out.  
“Dee, I’d like you to meet Caitlyn, my girlfriend. Caitlyn, this is my step-mom, Dee.”  
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Fischbach.” I said, extending a hand, but Dee pulled me into a hug instead, sort of like I had done to Tom earlier. I accepted the hug, taking an immediate liking to Dee. She had curly, light brown hair that looked almost red and she was shorter than Mark by a few inches but about the same height as me. She had big glasses covering her stunningly blue eyes.  
“Please,” she said after she had pulled out of the hug. “Just call me Dee.” With a slightly crooked smile, she invited us in, and Tom, Mark, and I all carried in the bags, a task made slightly more difficult by the two dogs chasing each other around our legs. I just knew it was going to be a wonderful visit.

\-----

After dropping off our bags in a guest room with two twin beds, we all sat on the brown leather coaches in the spacious living room and just talked. I found out that Tom was the author of an online comic series. I also found out that Dee loved chicken dumplings with a passion, just like Mark did. Mark told everyone about his channel and how he’d just recently hit the 6,000,000 subscriber mark, and Mark managed to coax out of me how I sang and played guitar at various restaurants and coffee houses around LA.  
I had a great time talking to them, and I knew Mark did too, but I realized that there was a slight sadness in him, something that was keeping him from truly being himself. At first I thought that maybe it was his mom not being here, but then I realized that it wasn’t his mom. It was his dad. His dad that he’d been so close too as a kid. His dad who’d supported his love for games. His dad who’d died of cancer when he was in college. When he was at home in California and wasn’t around his family, he wasn’t reminded of that fact every day. Even so, I had learned of a few topics to avoid when I was around him. But here, with his family, he was happier than ever, but also sadder than he was back at home because he was reminded every minute he was with Dee and Tom that his dad wasn’t there too. I noticed how Dee kept twisting her ring every few minutes and thought she must be thinking about him too. After I realized this, I tried to keep my mind off of it, but it was almost impossible. It was like being in the same room with a poster of a flower and trying not to look or think about it. You could do it, but every once in a while, your eyes would drift and you would see the flower (or, in this case, the ring) again. It was a relief when it was time for lunch.  
Even before we left, I knew where we were going. Mark had told me a lot about Cincinnati, and he could barely get through a sentence without mentioning Cracker Barrel. So when we got into the car (Mark sitting in the back next to me this time and Dee riding shotgun) and Dee asked where we should go for lunch, Mark’s immediate reaction was no surprise.  
“Cracker Barrel!”  
“Oh, I was thinking we could go to that new Chinese place just down the street. I’ve heard it’s really nice, and they’re well-known for their fortune cookies…” she stopped when she saw Mark’s disappointed face.  
“She’s kidding. We’re going to Cracker Barrel.” Tom butted in and Mark immediately punched the air in triumph.  
“Seriously, Dee. You scared me!”  
“Why on earth would we go anywhere else?” Dee asked, smiling in a way that reminded me a lot of myself, before turning on the radio. A Journey song came on and Mark immediately began freaking out. I was worried he was having some kind of seizure before I realized he was dancing to the song.  
“Mark,” Tom said, watching his brother through the review mirror. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”  
“Dear brother, have you forgotten my amazing dancing skills?” Mark said, and Dee laughed a bit louder and longer than the comment deserved. I guess she must be really happy to see Mark again.  
The drive was short and soon enough, we were there. We all climbed out and Tom locked the car. Mark turned to me and said quietly, “Welcome to the best place in the world, Caitlyn.”  
“Disneyworld?!” I asked with mock enthusiasm.  
“No seriously, this place is amazing. I probably spent most of my childhood in here. I may be a bit distracted by the memories and stuff, so excuse me if I’m not the super cool and amazing person that you’re used to.” I saw how serious he was, almost a bit embarrassed about sharing his childhood with me, and I kissed him on the cheek.  
“Mark, you’re always the super cool and amazing person that I’m used to.” I said, and he smiled, giving me a quick kiss on the nose. Then we followed his family inside.  
Lunch was wonderful, and I really understood what Mark meant when he said it was the best place in the world. The food was great, but being with Mark and his family was even better. Tom and Mark were like two peas in a pod, joking back and forth, while Dee and I would just look at each other and shake our heads or sigh.  
“I’m so glad you’re here, Caitlyn,” she said, smiling at me as the boys fake-wrestled over the last chicken wing. “At least there’s someone else to help me handle their shenanigans.”

\-----

After lunch, we went back home and, unlike on the way there, Dee was completely engrossed in her phone.  
“You know, you’re looking at that screen an awful lot when you could be looking at my beautiful face.” Mark joked, but looked considerably more suspicious when she just laughed and obviously hadn’t heard what he’d said. He looked at me and I just shrugged.  
“To be fair, we’re on our phones quite a lot too.” I said as an explanation. When we got back to the house, there were a couple of cars parked close to the driveway, but not close enough to pay attention to, at least for Mark. We all got out and Dee finally put her phone away.  
“Well, I guess we’d better just go inside then.” She said, too quickly, a smile snaking its way onto her otherwise nonchalant face. Mark frowned.  
“That’s not suspicious at all…” He grabbed my hand and we led the way to the door. I had a pretty good idea of what might be going on, but I kept my mouth shut. Just as we were about to head in, the door opened.  
“SURPRISE!” shouted a massive group of people who suddenly ran from the door toward Mark. A hand grabbed my arm and pulled me away just in time as about 15 people stood about where I just had been, surrounding Mark with a group hug. I looked up to see Tom had pulled me back.  
“Thanks.” I said quickly, and stayed back with him and Dee as every person greeted Mark. I assumed all the people were old school friends and, based on the greetings exchanged, I wasn’t wrong.  
“Man, I haven’t seen you since the 8th grade, how you been?”  
“Still keeping up on basketball, Mark?”  
“Oh my god, my best friend is obsessed with your videos, she just about freaked when I told her I was in your high school class!”  
“Keeping busy, Mark? I swear I haven’t seen you for ages!” The people seemed to keep coming. Finally, Mark insisted that they all head inside, which they did, dragging Mark along with them. I followed them inside to find the dining room had been transformed, buffet style tables loaded with food down the middle of the room. I smiled as I noticed the glasses of wine situated around the table. It was going to be an interesting night.

\----

After being introduced to everyone, I tried to sneak back into the shadows a bit. I didn’t really know anyone here, being from California and all, and I was kind of an introvert, but Mark made sure to keep me included and I met some pretty cool people. After a little while (and a small glass of wine), I let my guard down and really started to enjoy everyone’s company. Bob and Wade made an appearance maybe an hour after we arrived, and I was glad to hang around with them as I’d become really good friends with them in the six months I’d been dating Mark.  
Dee announced dinner around 7:00 (Cincinnati time) and the food was delicious. The dogs begged relentlessly and received a small morsel from everyone. I wanted to ask if Dee had cooked everything, and when I went up to her, she led me into the kitchen, where I noticed the empty Cracker Barrel boxes.  
“Shh, don’t tell anyone.” She said, a mischievous glint in her eye that reminded so much of Mark. 

I enjoyed another small glass of wine and decided to call it quits on the alcohol, but Mark, Bob, and Wade had plenty. Bob and Wade, along with the two dogs (of course), became the life of the party, but Mark instead seemed to want to stick by me, making more small talk than being super rambunctious like he usually was. Even so, when Dee pulled out the karaoke machine around 9:30, Mark was all over it. He really was a good singer when he wanted to be. Bob and Wade sang too and they even convinced me to sing something after a while. After I sang and people were distracted by Bob and Wade again, Mark came up to me. His face was a little flushed and he looked tired.  
“I’m not feeling the best, I think I ate too much. Mind if I just lie down?” He asked, his voice softer than usual.  
“Of course, babe,” I said, and I walked with him upstairs into the guest room, my arm around him. He sat down on one of the beds and winced slightly. “Are you ok?”  
“Yeah, yeah, just give me a few minutes to recover.” He replied, and I kissed his forehead.  
“Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you.”  
“You’re the best.” I let him rest and closed the door behind me, pushing my concerns away. Mark would be ok, he just needed a break. That was normal. Shaking my head a bit to clear it, I dove back into the excitement. 

Around 10 (by my watch, which was still set to California time and was three hours earlier), people started leaving, saying they had to get to work tomorrow. I’d enjoyed the party, but I was glad for it to be over. Pretty soon, it was just Bob and Wade left, and Dee invited them to stay, but they declined. I gave them both hugs as they left.  
“I’m glad you guys came,” I said, squeezing Bob’s hand. “And I know Mark is too.”  
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Bob said. “See you back in LA, Caitlyn.”  
“See you.”  
“And tell Mark I want a Soccer Physics rematch!” Wade said, laughing.  
“I will.” Then the door closed and the house was quiet. I checked my watch. 11:45 California time, or 2:45 AM Cincinnati time. I sighed and flopped down on the coach next to Tom, who had warmed up to me considerably after having a glass or two of wine.  
“You all good?” He asked.  
“Yeah, just tired. Man, it’s late.”  
“Yeah. I think I’m going to retire. It’s nice having you and Mark here, Caitlyn.”  
“Thank you.” I replied, smiling at him. He smiled back and winked before getting up and heading to the other guest bedroom on the other side of the house. He was a cool guy, I thought. I got up and found Dee cleaning up in the kitchen.  
“You want any help?” I asked, rolling up my sleeves.  
“Oh no, you’re the guest. Its fine, most of these plates are disposable anyway. You should go check on Mark.”  
“Alright. Thank you for dinner, Dee. And for everything else. Its fantastic being here and I know it’s a million times better for Mark. He’s...he's an amazing person and I know he missed you all so much. It’s nice seeing him this happy.” I said. Dee turned toward me, wiping her hands on a dishtowel before pulling me into a hug.  
“You’re a good person, Caitlyn. I’m glad Mark found you. You’ll do him plenty of good.” I smiled and hugged her back before heading upstairs to the room Mark and I shared. 

I walked in and sat on the bed by Mark. He was on his side, dozing. I stroked his hair gently. As I brushed past his forehead, I noticed the heat immediately. I stopped and put my hand directly on his forehead. It was burning. Alarmed, I gently nudged Mark.  
“Mark?” I said. He didn’t move. I nudged him again, harder. “Mark?” He still didn’t move. I nudged him so hard I practically pushed him off the bed. He opened his eyes and looked up at me, vaguely confused. “Oh, thank God. “ I said, breathing a sigh of relief.  
“What…”He started to say before he spasmed and pushed me off of the bed. I stood and turned around to see him doubled over in pain, his mouth open but not screaming, tears running down his face.  
“Oh my god, MARK!” I screamed, grabbing his hand, my other hand on his forehead, feeling the burning skin. “Mark, baby, talk to me. Mark? MARK!” I screamed. He couldn’t do anything but cry, his entire body tense, obviously in terrible pain. Oh my god. Oh my god, oh my god. I couldn’t think. I had no idea what to do. I just screamed. “HELP! DEE! TOM! HELP ME!” I yelled, not wanting to leave Mark’s side. Dee was the first to arrive, but Tom wasn’t far behind, both of them looking completely terrified and even more terrified when they saw Mark, his longish black hair soaked with sweat, his face red and pained.  
“Mark!” Dee cried, racing to my side. She put a hand on his forehead and saw his face and looked at me, helplessly. I felt numb. Vaguely, I heard Tom talking on his phone.  
“911, my brother is lying on his bed and he’s in obvious pain, I don’t know what’s wrong. We need an ambulance…Symptoms are...”  
“His stomach is as hard as a rock.” Dee said, her voice cracking, she and Tom shared a look as if they knew exactly what that meant. Tom nodded and began speaking into the phone again with increased urgency. Dee looked at me, tears streaming down her face, but looking calm, like a nurse in a hospital right next to a dying patient.  
“We need to get him downstairs,” she said. Mark had caught his breath and he was crying hard, almost screaming in agony. I nodded to Dee, trying to shut off all emotion in me, which sort of worked. I felt numb, calm, controlled, the terrified part of me hidden deep down, but still very noticeable. I knew I needed to get my love downstairs. I didn’t know what the consequences might be if I didn’t, but I did not want find out. Dee and I each grabbed one of his arms, trying to lift him into a sitting position. Dee talked to him while we did it.  
“Mark, honey, we need to get you downstairs. It’s going to be ok, but you have to help us. You only have to deal with this for a little bit longer, just help us get you downstairs.” I couldn’t tell if he nodded or not, but he managed to help us get him standing. He collapsed as soon as he was off the bed and Dee and I were forced to carry him. I staggered like a drunk, but I was determined and my determination and fear gave me strength. Tom clicked off of the phone and helped us so that we could get him down the stairs and into the living room, onto the brown coaches that, just a few hours ago, a perfectly happy, healthy Mark had been sitting on, talking to his family. Well, maybe not completely healthy…

We set him down and he curled up, his head by me, his feet by Dee, the only half of his face that was visible contorted in agony. Dee cried, quietly, her hand on his side, Tom paced back in forth, looking at his brother every two seconds only too look away as if every time he saw the pain Mark was going through was a punch in the face, which it probably was. I stroked Mark’s hair, trying to give him some form of comfort through his pain. There wasn’t much we could do. Mark had gone silent again, only half conscious, and the only sound was Dee’s crying and Tom’s shoes hitting the ground as he paced.  
We only waited a few minutes for the ambulance, but it felt like hours. We heard the sirens and Dee quickly got up and opened the door. Both dogs ran toward it, barking, but Dee quickly led them away into a side room. Then the paramedics entered, carrying a stretcher, and Tom and I lifted Mark onto it. The paramedics wheeled him out, the three of us followed behind, practically jogging to keep up. Tom pulled out his keys and unlocked the car, climbing into the front seat and starting the engine. I reached for a door, but Dee grabbed my hand.  
“Caitlyn, I need you to stay here.”  
“I…I…” I said, unable to form words. The ambulance pulled out of the driveway, sirens blaring.  
“I know, you want to come, but you have to stay here. Please don’t argue with me. I’ll call you in the morning or if anything changes, but please stay here.” She was dead serious, more serious than I’d ever seen her, and she obviously knew exactly what she was doing.  
“O-Ok.” I stammered, my eyes wide. Dee squeezed my hand and climbed into the car with Tom. They pulled out of the driveway and left, following the lights of the ambulance. I stood on the empty driveway as the lights faded away. I don’t know how long I stood there staring down the dark road before I turned around and walked back into the house, closing and locking the door. I made sure my phone was on and fully charged and I numbly got ready for bed, thinking about what had happened. His burning fever. The look of absolute pain and agony on his face. God, my heart was torn to pieces every time I relived the memory, but I couldn’t stop myself. I glanced at my watch. 12:57.

I walked into the bedroom and climbed between the sheets. I tried to avoid looking at the empty bed next to me. I just sat and stared at the wall and thought. Thought about the moment I’d found him, but mostly about the moments leading up to that. Mark not eating on the plane. His lack of energy at the party. How he needed to go upstairs because he wasn’t feeling good. “Don’t worry, I just need to rest. I’m not feeling the best, but just give me a few minutes to recover.” Why didn’t I see the signs! Mark tried so hard to protect us from his pain that he forgot to protect himself. I hadn’t cried at all during the whole ordeal tonight, but now I let my tears run free. How could I let him do this to himself? How could I not have noticed? How?  
I intended to stay up all night waiting for Dee or Tom to call, but I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to my watch reading 8:32 AM. It took me a second to realize that it wasn’t my watch that had woken me, but my phone. Immediately, I picked it up, not even looking at the number.  
“Hello?”  
“Caitlyn, its Dee. Mark’s ok. How fast can you get to the hospital on Main?”

\---------

I didn’t have a car, so Tom picked me up in his familiar Toyota. Before I left, I had let the dogs out to go to the bathroom and being around their excited, happy energy almost made me feel better. I had also grabbed some of Mark’s spare clothes, his camera, and his Tiny Box Tim, which I was surprised but completely delighted to find. I snuggled with Tim for a while. It smelled like Mark’s cologne and being with it was kind of like being with him. Kind of. Then Tom pulled in and we left.

We rode almost the whole way in silence. I wanted to know what was going on, but for some reason, my voice didn’t seem to want to work. Tom stared straight ahead, making no attempt at conversation. I reset my watch to Cincinnati time on the way there. When we arrived at the hospital, I felt my stomach twist a bit. Knowing he was in there, that tall and terrifying concrete building, in pain, made my heart break, although I don’t know how it could since it was already broken. Tom stopped the car but didn’t make a move to get out. He breathed in, then out.  
“Mark has, what they call, a small bowel obstruction. This is what caused the serious pain in his stomach.”  
“I understand,” I said, feeling numb again. I shoved my fear down. “Can I see him?”  
“Of course you can. He’s not awake right now because the doctors had to give him a sedative last night, but the nurses say he should wake up soon.” I nodded and got out of the car, looking up at the hospital. I took a deep breath, then started inside. Tom jogged a bit to catch up to me and walked beside me through the doors into the extremely air-conditioned, extremely sterile hospital. I shivered. I hated hospitals. I tried to ignore my surroundings and just followed Tom. A left. A right. Up an elevator to the third floor. Another right. Then we stopped about halfway down the hall.  
“In here.” Said Tom, gesturing to the door. I was terrified to open it, but I did it. I had to see Mark. The door swung inward and I walked in.

Mark was sleeping in the hospital bed, an oxygen mask covering his mouth. He was hooked up to a bunch of machines by tubes in his wrists and side. Whatever was left of my heart shattered as I saw him, surrounded by intimidating, beeping machines. I walked over to him slowly, almost as if in a daze. I stopped right at the edge of his bed, letting my purse fall from my hand.  
“Oh god, Mark. Oh god. Mark.” I reached out and grabbed the hand not full of tubes, lacing his fingers with mine. Even with the oxygen mask covering his face, he still looked younger when he was sleeping. Oh god, my beautiful Mark. I reached out a hand behind me to brace myself on something, finding Tom’s hand. I grasped it like a lifeline.  
“Hey,” He said, his voice quiet and cracking. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Hey. He’s going to be ok. He’ll be fine. He can handle this.” I had a feeling Tom was telling himself this more than he was telling me. After a while, I spoke.  
“Can I be alone with him for a minute?” I asked, my voice almost a whisper.  
“Of course. Dee and I will be in the waiting room.” I didn’t see Tom as he left, but I heard the door close. As soon as it did, the tears started falling from my eyes. I turned around and grabbed a chair, pulling it up by Mark’s bed so I could sit next to him. Honestly, I didn’t want to look at him. The more I saw him, the more my heart panged, but I couldn’t bear to leave him. Eventually, I closed my eyes and leaned my head into his chest. I heard the beeping of the machines, so I put a hand over the opposite side ear. I just sat there and listened to his heartbeat. Even with the machines and the medicine and the beeping around us, his heart was still his heart. I cried quietly into his hospital gown.

“Hey, beautiful,” came a rough, whispery voice that was so different from Mark's usual, deep and buttery voice. I gasped and sat up to see Mark’s coffee brown eyes looking at me.  
“Mark,” I wanted to give him a hug but I was scared I would hurt him and I couldn’t give him a kiss because of the mask, so I kissed his hand instead and gently started stroking his damp hair. “Mark, oh my god. Mark.”  
“Mark, yeah that’s me. Don’t worry, my name is still the same as it was ten minutes ago.” I tried to laugh, but it just sounded like a croak from my tear-restricted throat. There were so many different emotions swirling around inside me. Mostly, there was relief that I was here with him and he was ok. Then there was fear that he wouldn’t be okay or there was something seriously wrong. Just a very small part of me was angry, but that small part of me wanted to make itself heard.

“Do you realize how much you scared me last night? Like, I thought you were going to die,” I said, so quietly I was almost whispering. “Do you understand? I thought you were going to die and it scared the shit out of me. I know it isn’t your fault, but…why didn’t you tell me, Mark? You were in pain and you didn’t tell me. I thought you were going to die and you didn’t tell me.”  
“I know. I know. I scared the shit out of myself too. But listen. I’m going to be ok. I’m going to fight through it just like I fight through life.” He looked at me, his face all seriousness, and another tear fell from my eye. He tried to brush it away, but missed, the medicine making him a bit dizzy. I grabbed his hand and guided it to my face. He brushed away the tear and I lay my head against his chest again, listening to his heartbeat and breathing in the smell of him. I sat there for a long time.

“Caitlyn?” He said, his voice rumbling in his chest.  
“Yes Mark?”  
“Can you do something for me?”  
“Of course, anything.”  
“I need you to get my camera from the house.” I sat up and smiled, reaching into my purse.  
“You mean this camera? Don’t worry, I came prepared,” I said, handing him the camera. “Also, your friend missed you.” I pulled out Tiny Box Tim and Mark gasped.  
“Tiny Bo…” He said in his raspy voice before coughing. He reached out for Tim and I handed him over.  
“All better?”  
“Not quite. Can you film me? I want to let everyone know what’s going on.” By everyone, he obviously meant the fans that were probably worried out of their minds right now.

“Mark, you can’t do that. I know how much you want to tell them and talk to them, but if you do, it’ll make things even harder for them. Do you realize how many of your fans are going to freak out when they find out that you’re in the hospital? Like, all of them. Why would you want them to know?”  
“I can’t lie to them. No, I have to tell them. You don’t have to say anything, just hold the camera and press record.”  
“Mark…”  
“Please, Caitlyn.” He looked so sad and desperate, I couldn’t resist. I stood up and flipped open the camera, setting it up to see him. I pressed the red button and nodded.

“Hey guys, really sorry to say this, but I’ve been in the hospital overnight,” He started, his voice so quiet and raspy, I was scared that the camera wouldn’t pick it up. “It’s about 9:00 in the morning right now. I’m hooked up to a lot of scary looking machines, but I don’t want you guys to worry. I won’t go into detail what’s wrong with me, but it’s nothing life-threatening. It just involves a lot of pain and it came really suddenly. So I, uh, hope to be out of here as soon as possible but if I miss some videos, you know, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m kind of stuck here. The doctors need to make sure that I’m ok. Do some x-rays and what not. But I should be back home soon and I’ll be at 100%. Just thanks guys for supporting me and, uh, really, truly I’m ok. I’m going to be ok. So thank you guys for watching. Bye.” I pressed the stop button. I was crying again. He was so loyal to his fans, he was willing to tell them that he was ok, when he might not be. I was so lucky to love him.

\-----

Once I left Mark, I headed to the waiting room to meet with Dee and Tom. I was still a bit hurt that Dee had made me stay behind, but I was also grateful. I don’t think I would have been able to handle it. Dee had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was tangled, but she ran up to me and gave me a hug with all of her usual strength.  
“I’m so glad you’re here Caitlyn.” She said. I remembered she’d said something like that to me when we were in Cracker Barrel, when Mark was healthy and wrestling Tom for the food. It seemed so long ago, but really it was less than 24 hours ago.  
“How’s he doing?” Tom asked, his face and tone calm. Some of his calm-ness washed over me and helped me to take a deep breath.  
“He’s fine. He woke up and was talking to me for a while. He’s still his same old self. He insisted on making a video for his fans to let them know what’s up.” Dee sobbed, a single release of grief, before she controlled herself again.  
“He’s always so persistent. It would take a mountain to stop him from helping his fans.” Or a blockage in his intestines, I thought, but I didn’t say anything.  
“Yeah,” I said instead. “He’s a great person.”  
“We’re having a meeting with the doctors soon to figure out what we’re going to do and we want you there,” Tom said. “You were with him the longest and so you know what he’s been like the past few days.”  
“Yeah, yes of course I’ll be there.” I said, my hand on Dee’s shoulder. She smiled and gave me another hug. It was comforting having her there, like she was my mom too.  
Just then a woman about as tall as me ran up to us, her face stone-like in its seriousness. At first I thought she was a nurse, but she wasn’t wearing hospital attire and her brown eyes and skin tone were…familiar.  
“Where is he.” She asked in a monotone, directing the question completely at Tom.  
“He’s…room 304.” Tom managed to get out, looking as surprised as I felt.  
“Thank you.” She said, and she whipped around, her loose black hair flying behind her as she ran. I glanced over at Tom as he mouthed the word. Mom.

\-----------

Tom, Dee, and I sat in the waiting room for a long time. Tom was on his phone and I dug a book out of my purse, but Dee seemed completely occupied just staring at the wall. I realize what this might feel like for her and Tom. I’d only known Mark for a year or so, only been dating him for six months, but they had known him his whole life. I thought about Mark’s dad again and wondered if they’d been in a hospital like this before, waiting to hear the verdict or go to a meeting. I wondered if Mark was thinking about his dad too.  
A nurse came up to us after a while.

“Are you the Fischbach family?” She asked and Dee nodded. The way the nurse had said it made me feel a bit better, even if it was purely for convenience and wasn’t intentional. I was part of the Fischbach family. I thought about when, on the plane, I was thinking about Mark’s family being 1/10 of the person he was. I was wrong. These people were so much more than that, so supportive, so caring. I felt like I’d been adopted into the family and I’d only been around them for about 24 hours. Most importantly, I wasn’t alone.  
The nurse gestured for us to follow her and we did. My leg had fallen asleep while I was sitting down and I felt the pins and needles as we walked down a few halls and into a meeting room. I checked my watch while we walked. 4:25 PM. There was a circular, brown table in the middle of the room and three doctors were sitting around it, opposite the door. Three seats were waiting for us.  
“Please, have a seat,” said one doctor with close cropped blonde hair. We did, Tom sitting on the right, me on the left, and Dee in between us. “My name is Dr. Ryans, and these are my colleagues, Dr. Klydensor and Dr. Campbell.” Dr. Ryans said, gesturing to the people on his right and left, consecutively.  
“I’m Dee, Mark’s step-mother, and this is Tom and Caitlyn.” Dee answered, gesturing to Tom and me.  
“Mark is the patient?” Dr. Klydensor whispered to Dr. Ryans, who nodded. My mouth was oddly dry.  
“I’d like to begin by asking you to recount Mark’s activities these last 48 hours or so.” Dr. Ryans said, folding his hands in front of him like a teepee. Dee gently nudged me and I told the doctors about Mark on the plane, how he had refused to eat anything and looked mildly in pain. After recounting how we’d landed, I let Tom take over, jumping in to say how Mark had looked flushed and said he was feeling very good towards the end of the party, thinking he’d eaten too much and how he’d slept for a few hours. When we arrived at the moment of the story where I found Mark, I found it a lot harder to talk, like there were cotton balls in my throat. Even so, I pushed through.

“I walked in to check on him and found he had a fever. When I tried to wake him up, he didn’t move for a minute, and when he finally did wake up, he…I think he had some kind of body spasm and he pushed me off of the bed and I saw him completely doubled over in pain. He couldn’t talk and I don’t think he could breathe very well…Dr. Ryans, is Mark going to be okay?”  
“Please continue your story.” Dr. Ryans said, not answering my question and making my heart sink down a bit. I knew it was childish to ask a question like that, but I couldn’t help it. I felt childish and I felt scared. I cleared my throat and kept talking.  
“I called for help.” I said, gesturing to Dee to finish, but she shook her head, a single tear on her cheek, and so Tom finished instead. Dee reached out and grabbed my hand. I squeezed it, grateful. After we had finished, the doctors were silent for a moment.  
“You mentioned that Mark drank a bit at the party,” Dr. Campbell said, clicking his pen and making a little mark on the paper in front of him to make sure it worked. “How much alcohol did he have?”  
“He had maybe five or six shots.” Tom said, and the doctors nodded and scribbled a bit on their papers. Then they muttered a bit to each other. I think they forgot we were in the room.  
“Has Mark had any surgeries before this incident?” Dr. Ryans asked.  
“Yes,” Dee said, her voice soft but steady. “He had a surgery a few years ago to remove his appendix, which had swollen, and a small tumor.”  
“Mark’s bowel obstruction was most likely caused by the scar tissue from that surgery. To remove the blockage, we will need to do a minor operation. Normally, this operation is quite safe, but the alcohol in Mark’s system might…complicate things a bit. It is a risk, but that is the only way to alleviate Mark’s pain.”  
“Excuse me,” I said, raising my hand a bit like I was in school or something. “But, what kind of risk, do you mean? What are the chances that the surgery could go wrong?”  
“Normally, there is a 97% success rate on this surgery. In this case, the percentage has been lowered to 78%.” A 78% chance of success, which means a 22% chance of failure. I felt sick.  
“Well, is there any alternative?” Dee asked.  
“No, this is the…”  
“Then we should do it. We have to.”  
“I agree,” Tom said, his hand on his step-mom’s shoulder. “If this is the only way to help Mark, then damn it, let’s do it. Why wouldn’t we if there’s no alternative?”  
“This is our line of thinking as well,” Dr. Klydensor said, nodding his head slightly. “We only wanted to share it with you. If you agree, then we can begin the surgery within the hour.”  
“Can we see him before that?” Dee asked.  
“Of course you may,” Dr. Ryans said, smiling sympathetically. “He will probably take it best if you tell him, but we’ll have a nurse in there with you anyway.”  
“Alright, well, thank you gentlemen,” Dee said, standing and reaching out a hand to shake the doctors’ hands. “We should go see him now, if that’s alright.”  
“Of course, go right ahead.” Dr. Campbell said, smiling a bit. Tom and I stood up at almost the same time and followed Dee out.

\--------

We walked to Mark’s room in almost complete silence. No one wanted to talk, especially not after the meeting with the doctors. All I could think about was 22%, a 22% chance of failure. That number moved around my head, jumping to the forefront of my attention numerous times, no matter how many times I tried to push it away. 22%. 22%. I tried to replace it with different numbers, checking the time. 4:58 PM. We made a final turn and Tom opened the door, holding it open for Dee and me as we walked in. I saw a mass of hair at Mark’s bedside and realized it was his mom. She jumped when we came in and immediately straightened her skirt. She was wearing a white blouse and a long black skirt. She must have come from work to see Mark. I wonder who called her and told her, considering Tom and Dee seemed just as surprised as I was at seeing her. Maybe she was Mark’s emergency contact.  
“Hey guys.” Mark said, seeing us for the first time. He smiled and I realized that, even underneath the oxygen mask, his smile was still his smile. It still made my heart melt when I saw it.  
“Hey Mark.” Was all Tom could get in before Dee descended on Mark like a hawk, immediately rushing to give him a hug and jerking back as he winced.  
“Mark, Mark, oh my God, Mark, are you okay? Is there any pain? Is there anything we can do? Oh Mark. Do you want to me to call a nurse or something? Are you comfortable?”  
“Dee, Dee, I’m fine, it’s ok,” Mark said, barely able to fend his flustered step-mom off. “I’m okay, really. Just lonely, that’s all. I’m glad you guys are here.” Mark looked individually at everyone in the room, smiling at each of us. I wonder when he last saw his whole family together. Not his whole family, my stupid brain said. His Dad’s still not here. I ignored my negative thoughts, trying to push everything but Mark’s face out of my head. Even so, it was impossible to completely silence my thoughts of Mark’s dad and the still continuing stream of 22% chance, 22% chance. Instead, I tried my best to smile and just enjoy Mark’s company. For the most part it worked.

\------------

We stayed in Mark’s room for almost an hour. I was still terrified to death by my 22%-filled thoughts, but Mark’s jokes and smiles did their usual magic and lessened my worry. Mark’s mom, who he’d taken to calling ‘Momiplier’ every once in a while, left a few minutes after we all got together and returned with a large travel container of chicken noodle soup and several bowls. We all enjoyed that until a nurse came and told us that we needed to leave so the doctors could do their work. No one was hungry after that. Bob and Wade arrived a half an hour or so later.  
“Caitlyn!” Bob said as he rushed down the waiting room hall toward me, Wade not far behind. I immediately stood and met him halfway. He enveloped me in a massive hug and we stayed like that for a few seconds. Then I pulled back and was immediately pulled into Wade’s arms. Both guys looked more tense and serious then I’d ever seen them.  
“What happened? What happened? Where’s Mark?” Wade asked quickly, pulling away.  
“The doctors started prepping him for surgery a half an hour or so ago. He went under a few minutes ago. He’s in the OR.” Immediately, Wade cursed.  
“Damn it, Bob!”  
“I’m sorry; I couldn’t drive any faster!”  
“You weren’t exactly rushing. Not like our best friend is in the fricking hospital!”  
“Guys,” I said, their argument starting to give me a headache. They fell silent and looked at me. “We had a meeting with the doctors a few hours ago. They said that he had an obstruction in his intestines caused from scar tissue from his surgery a few years ago. They said…the said the alcohol in his system complicates the operation and they…there’s a 78% success rate.” I blurted out, unable to keep my thoughts to myself anymore. Everyone was quiet. Somehow, I thought Bob and Wade would help with the whole thing, but I felt worse now than I had since I first saw Mark.  
“God…” Bob breathed. That was all he could say. We stood there for a minute in silence, looking at each other and hoping for some comfort, but no one got any. After a while we just sat back down again in the squishy waiting room chairs, not able to do anything else.  
I pulled out my book again and started reading, but these annoying tears kept falling on the pages and ruining the book and suddenly I was so mad at my stupid book and at the whole situation and I was so, so scared for Mark that I just started bawling. Bob, Wade and Tom all looked over with concerned looks on their faces, but Dee was the one who actually acted. She came over to me and put her arms around me. I turned my head and started crying into her shoulder, painfully aware that I was getting my boyfriend’s step-mom’s shirt all wet, but I didn’t care anymore. I cried for a while, my gasps between sobs abating into a steady stream of silent tears. In fact, I cried until the nurse came to bring us to Mark.

\--------

I was sure that everyone else was as anxious for answers as I was that they were practically bursting to ask the nurse, but the walk to the OR was completely silent. I was sick of silence. I silently resolved that, when this was all over and Mark was okay and we were back in LA, I would go home and lay on my bed in my comfy sweatpants and play super loud rock music to get rid of all of the silence. Subconsciously, I checked my watch. 6:43 PM. The door opened and we walked into Mark’s room.  
Mark’s bed was moved into a sitting position and he looked wide awake and alert. The oxygen mask was gone, as was the IV and several tubes. He flashed his trademark smile at us as we walked in and it took every fiber of my self-control not to run over to him and hug him and never let go. He looked tired, but his eyes were clear and he was wide awake. His hair was almost his normal, messy style and, tucked in between his side and the bed, was Tiny Box Tim, smiling for the entire world to see.

\---------

Mark and I stayed in Cincinnati for another week, three days to let him recover at the hospital, and the other glorious four days to spend with his family. We had a wonderful week and it was hard to say goodbye. We all drove to the airport together in Tom’s familiar Toyota, Tom driving, his mom next to him, Dee and I in the backseat, and Mark in the ridiculously small seat behind us with Maggie, the littlest brown dog, and, of course, Tiny Box Tim. We laughed and joked the whole ride to the airport. Once there, it became more serious. Mark’s mom said goodbye first, hugging Mark for a good 30 seconds, and giving me a quick hug too. Tom said goodbye second, mostly because Maggie was probably going to pee herself if she stayed in the airport any longer, and, after hugging Mark and shaking Tim’s hand, he hugged me and kissed me on the forehead.  
“I’m watching you, Tom.” Mark joked, pointing at his eyes quickly, before hugging Dee.  
“You’re a good kid, you know that Caitlyn?” Tom said, smiling at me. I flipped my loose hair and batted my eyes.  
“I know.”  
“Seriously though, come back sometime. And, for Christmas, I’ll make sure I bring a few souvenirs for you. Plus, you can’t miss Mom’s casserole. It’s the best.”  
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I said, my heart warm.  
“Hey, Mark!” Tom yelled behind him at his brother.  
“Yeah?” Mark yelled back, fending off an attack by the tiny Maggie.  
“Just to be clear, if you two don’t get married, we’re adopting her!” Tom said, pointing a thumb at me. I laughed, feeling happy, even though we were leaving. I gave Tom one last hug before Dee came. We looked at each other for a moment and smiled before Dee pulled me into a massive hug. After a while, she pulled away and put her hands on my shoulders.  
“Caitlyn, you are always welcome in our home. Please, please come back. I need another girl with me to watch over those two,” Dee said, nodding her head in the direction of Tom and Mark, who were sharing a final goodbye by the car.  
“Don’t worry, I will. You can count on me.”  
“I know I can,” Dee said smiling. “I love you.”  
“I love you too, Dee. And thank you so much. For everything.” I gave Dee a final hug and then Mark was back.  
“You ready?” He said, our suitcase next to him.  
“Wait, wait,” Dee said, pulling him into another hug. He laughed and pulled away. “I love you, Mark.”  
“Love you too...Mom.” Mark said, and Dee’s smile widened. She smiled at him for a while, and then kissed his forehead. Mark reached out and grabbed my hand. I laced my fingers with his. With my free hand, I grabbed the handle of our other suitcase and wheeled it behind us as we walked toward our gate. I looked over my shoulder at Tom and Dee, a part of my family, happy and sad at the same time.  
“Bittersweet.” I said.  
“What?” Mark asked, looking over at me.  
“That’s what they call it, right? Bittersweet.”  
“Yeah, that’s it.” I stopped and pulled him toward me by our linked hands. He jerked to a halt and turned around, a bit confused. I let go of the suitcase and reached up, pulling him into a kiss. His free hand brushed my cheek. The kiss was long and lingering and when we broke apart, I held his cheek, looking into his beautiful eyes.  
“I love you.” I whispered and he smiled.  
“I love you too.” We stood there for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes, before I let go of his hand and reached into my purse, searching for what I wanted by touch, never looking away from Mark's eyes. I found it and pulled it out, quickly removing the adhesive, and stuck the pink mustache to Mark’s face. He moved back, surprised, then felt the mustache with his fingers and laughed, realizing what it was. He adopted a silly look on his face and spoke in his classic Wharfstache accent.  
“My dear Miss Caitlyn. I believe we are going to miss our flight.”  
“Well we could never let that happen.” I said, smiling up at him. I grabbed his hand again, and we kept walking towards our flight, towards LA, towards home. But I knew that my real home wasn’t a place. It was Mark. When I was with Mark, no matter if I was in California, or Ohio, or Alaska, I was home.


End file.
